Im 17 and apparently Im getting this serious surgery... so I have a few questions.

[knumnick]

Let me start off by telling you my story...
I remember at a very young age being able to crack my jaw,no biggy... I used to have a gap, but got surgery to correct it, had a retainer for a while, then got braces in 6th grade and got them removed january of sophomore year in high school. So yeah, I had braces for a whilleeee. It sucked!
Ive had jaw issues for so long, tmj, stiffness, the works... and I have an anterior open bite. My only teeth that really touch are my back molars. I have trouble eating a lot of things as you can imagine. Lettuce is not my friend -.-

And now finally, I am told that I am to get this surgery to correct my bite and fix jaw problems. I thought YAY! So.. what is this? I looked it up on the internet and .. holy crap. This stuff is serious.

So couple of questions...

1. How often is it necessary to get brace after the surgery? I am going to shoot myself if i need to go through another year with braces post surgery... because I will be in college.



2. How painful is it? I also will be getting my wisdom teeth out at the same time. YAY!

3. My face doesn't look too bad right now to be honest, I hate my profile though. Is there almost like.. always a positve change in the face? Like should I expect my face to change for the better?

4. How long is the average recovery period? Im getting this surgery during the school year.. so it should be interesting to go to school some days with my face swollen like a ballon

5. Is this a common surgery at my age?



umm... and if theres anything else you want to tell me about this surgery PLEASE DO!

And if you had the anterior open bite surgery with the overbite (sorry for the bad doctor speaking! Im only 17 and want to be a horse trainer )


thanks so much guys, i hope to get some great answers !


3.

[Sunny]

Hi and welcome to this forum!

What surgery are you having?

All surgery is serious, although with jaw surgeries they seem to be mostly the same and although there are always risks, mostly there are few problems. Of course you have to be told of all possible problem, so that the surgeon knows you have been well informed before deciding to go through with this. Remember surgery is your decision.

If your upper jaw is being moved backward, then that area will be flattened slightly, to what it is now. If your lower jaw is being moved forward, then that area will 'look stronger', be slighly forward, of where it is now. If both jaws are being moved, there may not be a great change in your profile. Talk to your orthodontist/surgeon, as they can tell you what will be changed and how your appearance will be affected.

Where I work, most patients have braces for around a year prior to surgery, less if this is their second round of braces and they've not had too much relapse. After surgery they continue with wearing braces until the jaw is healed and the bite is tweaked.

After surgery the main problems seem to be swelling and the return of feeling. It can take several years for all feeling to return and in a few case not all feeling will be returned. The swelling following surgery (and bruising) will take some time to totally disappear, but mostly this happens during the first three months and then you can see your how your bite looks. Eating can also be a bit of a challenge for the first few weeks, but if you make sure you'll well informed of your options that will help. Some people have to stay on liquids for a few weeks and therefore need to make sure they are getting adequate protein, vitamins and minerals via these fluids. Not all people have to spend a few weeks on fluids and some move on to very soft food quite quickly ... but again it's important to make sure you'll following the food groups well, as if you're not, healing may not happen as it should.

Do you have a tongue thrust and do you breathe through your mouth? If you do either or both of these, it is important that they also be corrected, or you re-trained, so that you don't cause your open bite to return.

Make sure you ask your ortho and surgeon all your questions, as they're the people who know your mouth and the surgery you're having done and therefore can give you the 'real' answers.

Good luck!